AROUND HOME : Notes on Kilim Rugs, and Garden and Animal Events : Kilim Rugs

TURKEY, THE CAUCASUS, Persia and Turkestan all produce kilims-- flat-woven rugs worked by a tapestry process that produces the same design on both sides--in patterns resembling those of the local pile rugs. They were made originally for domestic use by nomadic tribes as bags, bed coverings, door hangings, for awnings over wagons, for packing bales and so forth. They were used also to protect animals and humans from the cold, to be spread on a tent floor or to cover a table--which was the first use “Turkey” carpets were put to in Europe. In Turkey and Iran, in particular, the rugs fulfilled an aesthetic need and represented a source of wealth to fall back on in times of need. They are often long and narrow and have the usual carpet layout of field and borders; a second group are prayer rugs that are more symmetrical.

The characteristic Anatolian kilim (still woven today in the small villages of the region) is of geometrical design and woven by girls as young as 10 for their eventual trousseaux. Colors, derived from plants, roots and insects, are especially rich because of the fertile soil of the area and the silk-like consistency of the sheeps’ wool used for weaving.

An auction record of $22,000 was set in 1987 for an Anatolian kilim from the early 1800s. Most prized by collectors are pre-1870 Anatolian kilims , and many of these still can be obtained for between $1,500 and $10,000, remarkable bargains.

Kilims can be found at N.S. Minassian in West Los Angeles; Oriental Rug Center, Haroutunian, and Joseph Kilejian in West Hollywood; Aga John and Ames Auction Gallery in Beverly Hills; Adil Besim in Pasadena; Persian Rug Gallery and Sylvia Dikmen in La Jolla, and Galerie Bensoussan in San Diego.